GRAFTON — When Bonnie Haubrich moved to Grafton 37 years ago, the Grafton Center Meetinghouse was bursting with life.
There were Old Home Day celebrations, weddings, funerals, Ladies Benevolent Society scholarship dinners and church services.
That changed in 2016 when a fire at the building, then known as the Peaceful Assembly Church, killed its minister and heavily damaged the building. Three years later, Mascoma Valley Preservation, a Grafton-based nonprofit organization, purchased it.
“It was a building that was well worth restoring,” Haubrich said.
She has watched the progress over the years, from when the building was torn down to its studs to the fresh coat of white paint that was applied later on.
“It was just so different to drive by it and say, ‘Wow, this is what it can be,’ ” Haubrich said.
If all goes as planned, residents won’t have to wait too much longer to see what the meetinghouse can be. The Northern Border Regional Commission recently awarded Mascoma Valley Preservation a $400,000 grant to bring the multi-year project — along with another restoration project at the Kimball mill and barn in East Grafton — closer to completion.
The organization hopes the two properties will spur economic development in Grafton. Part of Macoma Valley Preservation’s mission is to make sure historic buildings are in use and contributing to the Upper Valley economy in some way, as well as providing a service to residents.
“We want them to be self-sustaining,” Mascoma Valley Preservation board member Andrew Cushing said.
The plan is for businesses that rent the space to pay enough to cover taxes and maintenance costs.
The Meetinghouse is on track to reopen by the end of 2026, said Cushing. The first floor will be a general store. The second floor will be a community gathering spot.
“We’re looking for the right business owner to embrace the atmosphere and create a niche business model that would attract everyday Graftonites and users of the rail trail,” Cushing said.
Haubrich would welcome a retail option. Currently, residents have to travel to Canaan or Danbury, N.H., for groceries.
“It would be nice to be able to buy a quart of milk in town,” Haubrich said, adding that there were three stores in Grafton when she moved there.
Haubrich suggested the building’s second floor host concerts, speakers and perhaps plays.
“It would be wonderful if we could have Old Home Day there again,” Haubrich said.
The six-year renovation project will end up costing about $1.7 million, Cushing said. The floors, plaster walls, insulation, flooring and window trim, among other interior work, still needs to be completed. The project has been funded by grants and private donations.
“Volunteers have done an incredible amount of labor-saving work, but it’s hard to have volunteers install an elevator,” Cushing said.
Kimball Mill
Across town is the Kimball Mill, a 175-acre property with three buildings off Turnpike Road that the Kimball family gave to Mascoma Valley Preservation in 2020. The grant money will go toward repairing the barn and mill’s structural integrity, including foundation, timber frame and drainage.
The group hopes to rent the Kimball barn and mill spaces to area craftspeople and/or woodworkers in need of workshop space.
“East Grafton was historically a collection of cottage industries so we want to return some vibrancy to the village,” Cushing said.
The organization is also in the process of renovating a house on the property, which it plans to rent out. The renovations are estimated to cost $700,000 and Cushing said the goal is to have it done in 2027. Mascoma Valley Preservation board members are actively writing grants and seeking private donations to put toward the total cost.
Mascoma Valley Preservation is currently working on raising an additional $200,000 to put toward finishing up both the Kimball Mill and Grafton Center Meetinghouse.
Cushing emphasized that the organization will not ask Grafton to designate any taxpayer dollars to help with the ongoing renovations.
“Our tax-exempt status, you can consider an investment from the public,” Cushing said. “We feel like that’s sufficient.”